A World Without Goggles
by Ommy
Summary: Davis has always thought he was second-best at everything - that he was nothing special. Something shocking happens, and Davis is tossed in a world where he never existed. Although, he may be surprised at what he sees. (COMPLETED!)
1. Nothing Special

Well I said for a long time that I would do this story, so it is about time I actually _do_ it! This is a darkish story starring a sorrowful Daisuke and done in his P.O.V. Let's see if he can find his place in the world. The story takes place about five years after the defeat of MaloMyotismon (I find it interesting that most digimon fics occur 3-5 years after that event!). This is somewhat of a Digimon version of "It's a Wonderful Life".

Disclaimer: As usual, Digimon is not mine, but the plot sure is (take what you can get, I say!).

Further Note: This is **_NOT_** a full Daikari...just one-sided.

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**A World Without Goggles**

I had to forget my umbrella this morning. The freezing bombardment of rain feels like a shower of miniature daggers as I walk down the street. Things never seem to go my way. They never have, so there's no reason they should start now. I guess that's what I get for not living up to anyone's expectations. Still, I can be insightful when I want to, but I just get disregarded. At least I can always be sincere with myself. I may not be the best student, but I've improved. I may not be the best athlete, but I try my best. I may not be the best leader, but I still pull through. If I could be good at something, I would think that I am a good friend. However, that doesn't seem like it is enough. I always seem to fall short. Izzy, and Joe always excelled in their studies, Ken was the star player on his champion soccer team, and Tai was a courageous leader.

Those are things that I cannot change, and I can live with that, no matter how disappointing it is. However, what pains me the most is that _he_ was always first in _her_ heart. I was told that it was "meant to be" - that it was "destiny" or "fate" that drew them together. I cared for her, too. It may have looked like a silly crush, but that was because I was unable to express myself properly. As such, I was short-changed by forces beyond my control. How is that fair? We were the best of friends, but I was never thought of as any more than just that, yet he was. I don't get it. I should have received an equal opportunity.

~*~*~*~*~_Flashback_~*~*~*~*~

It was about two months ago when _it_ happened. We held a birthday party for Kari. I had spent everything I had in my bank account on a fine gold bracelet that I had noticed at the shopping mall. The bracelet was decorated with a series of golden stars. I thought it suited Kari perfectly, for she was the bright light that shone on my world. To me, the money didn't matter. I spent it happily and wrapped the gift myself in pink paper, since I knew that pink is her favourite colour. I didn't do the best job in the world when wrapping, but I thought it was pretty decent.

When me and DemiVeemon got to the apartment, we were greeted by Kari herself. She looked absolutely stunning in her outfit. It was a pink spaghetti-strap dress that went down to her knees. I gave her a compliment about it, and she blushed, thanking me and saying it was a present from her parents. I could tell that me and DemiVeemon were the last to arrive, since everyone else was here. There were decorative streamers and balloons littered everywhere, a table full of delicious snacks, and a mountain of gifts beside the television. DemiVeemon went off with the other digimon to stuff their faces with cookies and cake, while I started mingling with the Digidestined. I didn't place my gift along with the others. I kept it in my hands the whole time out of sight.

While everyone was talking and laughing, I was off in my own world imagining the look on Kari's face when I presented her with her gift. I could see it now. The genuine smile of appreciation on her face would be well worth any price. I planned it so that after I give her the bracelet, I would reveal my true feelings for her. I even had organized what I wanted to say on a peace of paper that I kept within the box. I was very anxious about the outcome, but also I felt hopeful that she would return my feelings.

If I hadn't been daydreaming, I would have immediately noticed TK and Kari leaving the family room. When I snapped out of it, I finally noticed that Kari and TK were missing. I excused myself from the conversation and set out to find them. If I knew what I know now, I would have spared myself the anguish of following them. I kept quiet as I snuck up behind the door that I knew to be Kari's room. Carefully, I opened the door far enough for me to get a decent look. I could see the two of them standing by the window of Kari's room. Even now, I can remember everything that happened, and everything that was said from that moment on. I should, because it haunted me in my dreams for the past couple of months.

"Kari I wanted to take you aside from the others to give you your birthday present." Said TK. Kari's eyes lit up. I was utterly jealous of TK's ability to do that. Her eyes are so stunning...like the colour of leaves on a cool autumn evening. Whenever she was excited about something in this way, her eyes seemed to sparkle with the light of the stars. I would always lose myself whenever I was blessed with this rare opportunity of seeing her dazzling brown, shimmering pools of honey, glisten with joy.

"Really, TK, what is it?" Kari asked, sweetly. To me, her voice would make the best choir of heaven's angels seem like nails on a chalkboard. Maybe that's why I couldn't act normal whenever I was near her. She would lull my ears with her harmonious voice.

"I saw this at the mall the other day, and almost instantly...I thought of you." He said. He revealed a frighteningly familiar case before her and opened it slowly. When the case was fully opened, Kari gasped. I moved in closer to the crack in the door to get a better look at the gift. To my complete horror, I saw Kari reach into the box to pick up the present...a golden bracelet of stars. My grip became weak, and my version of the same gift, simply fell to the floor.

"TK...it's so beautiful." She said, words barely escaping her. "How on earth did you afford this?"

"That doesn't matter." TK replied with a smile on his face. "All that matters to me is that you like it. Seeing your face beam with happiness makes it all worth it." Kari quickly pulled him into a tight hug. When she released him, TK's expression went serious.

_No, it can't be._ I thought. Yet I knew full well what was going to happen next.

"Kari, I called you in here for another reason, too." He said. She looked at him quizzically, but I could trace a glimmer of hope in her eyes. It was unbearable. "Well I don't know if this is obvious to you, because it sure seemed obvious to everyone else." He chuckled at his remark. "Ever since I knew you, I have always been drawn to you in some way. At first, we were young, so I didn't know what it was. However, as we grew, my understanding of this feeling grew as well. When I finally figured it out, I was scared. I was scared that you wouldn't feel this as well, I was scared that it would damage what we have, and I was scared that I would never express it. Today I decided to risk everything to tell you what I've wanted to tell you for ages." Kari listened on intently. "I...love you, Hikari Kamiya..." Tears were gathering at the base of Kari's eyes. Before one drop fell, she pulled TK closer to her ever so quickly and passionately kissed him hard on the lips. I quickly looked away, tears now swarming in my eyes. The world came crashing down on me. I quickly wiped my tears away, and looked back when I heard Kari speak again.

"Oh, TK, I love you, too." She said, to my discontent. "I was too scared to tell you, too. I was so scared to express my feelings to you in case you didn't think of me in that way, but now I can tell you that I love you ever so much." I was gasping for air with every word I heard form them. "I had the same feeling when we were young, but it was when you rescued me from the Dark Ocean that I knew for sure. I was all alone with no way out, yet you came for me like a brave knight on his steed. It was like a fairytale come true." They embraced each other once again. Then TK brought up something.

"And here I was these past few years, thinking that you were going to fall for Davis." TK said. The next words out of Kari's mouth were going to be very important for me to hear.

"Why would you think that, silly?" She asked. "Sure Davis is nice and all, but my true feelings were always with you. Davis is my good friend, nothing more. I mean, being with him would be like being with my brother. They're almost exactly alike."

_So that's it. It's finished._ I thought. I was nothing more than a mere clone. I was nothing original - nothing special. I stooped over and gathered the present I bought, which I knew would be no further use to give. I went back into the family room with a heavy heart that sunk to my ankles. I quickly thought up an excuse and said to everyone that my sister called me on my cell phone about an emergency. I picked up DemiVeemon and let myself out.

Over the two months, I stopped going out with my friends so often. Everyone commented on how cute a couple TK and Kari were. They said it was "a match made in heaven", amongst other stupid clichés. After a while I got sick of all the remarks and stopped going out altogether. Thankfully it was summer holiday, so I didn't have to worry about seeing everyone at school. I would deny answering any phone calls or messages after a while. I lost my appetite on several occasions, so I ate less. Jun came in to my room every now and then to annoy me.

"Davis, what's the matter with you these days?" She would ask. "You don't go out, you hardly eat, and you don't speak with your friends. You're started to look pale and dishevelled. You don't even annoy me anymore. It doesn't take a Ken Ichijouji to figure out something's wrong with you." She didn't care. She blatantly used a reference to Ken to show how better everyone is at everything compared to me. Since when did she worry about me, anyway? Her false concern disgusted me, so I demanded her to leave me alone.

My digimon partner also tried to ask about me. I wasn't as peeved with him as I was with Jun. DemiVeemon's one of the only true friends I still have. I considered telling him what happened at the party on several occasions, but it just didn't seem right at the time. I really just wanted to be left alone...

~*~*~*~_End Flashback_~*~*~*~

Today, my parents finally persuaded me to go out, although it was more so forced. The day started off a little on the humid side. The sky was overcast. Sunshine barely poked through the clouds. Suddenly, the rain started bucketing down at an alarming rate. I smirked at this, cynically. I could now see why they called this pathetic fallacy, because that is what it was, and it is what I am...pathetic.

I can't believe that fateful day still lingers on in my mind. It is so infuriating! Why can't I get over this?! Why can't I let it go?! ...Why can't I be special for once? ...Why doesn't she love me...? I give up...I just give up. Like I noted before, even when I try my best, it still isn't good enough. Someone else will always be around to be better than me at everything I think I'm good at. I think it would be better if I never existed. Maybe then I wouldn't be in as much pain as I'm in now. The rain is really starting to become a nuisance. Luckily my apartment building is right across the street. As I crossed I thought of how I let Kari slip past me. If only I got to her sooner. If only I told her before...

I heard a loud noise coming closer, but I didn't pay attention. I was still consumed in thought. The noise persisted on distracting me, so I turned to my left. All I could see were two bright lights; all I could hear was the screeching of rubber on asphalt. Then came the pain...physical pain. It coursed through my body like wild electricity. Oh, how it hurt so much. I heard the breaking of bone and my vision started to dim. It occurred to me that I was losing consciousness. The world was becoming darker and darker around me. Was this my fate? Would I leave this world as bitterly as I felt? Darker still....darker...and dar-

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To be continued...

Don't worry, he's not dead!

You can see that I've made Davis rather reflective. Well they say that with age comes wisdom.

It might take a while for me to update this piece, since I have prior commitments to my epic fantasy story, **Golden Dragons**, and certain works of art. As well, school is rapidly approaching (yikes!). However I will try my best to update soon. As always, review and share your thoughts.


	2. The Gatekeeper

Well it appears that I was able to churn out a small second chapter. Now before I begin this chapter, there's a few things I would like to clarify that I should have noted in my last chapter.

First of all, since this is an angst/drama story, there will be **_no_** focus on romance or any romantic involvements. The main focal point is Davis and his interactions with others, as well as the array of complex thoughts and emotions he might go through.

My second note kind of ties in with the first. Davis will not be winning Kari over at the end, otherwise I would have said that this is a full Daikari, which it isn't. I'm a Takari-oriented author, so Daikari is something that does not sit well with me. 

Basically, I just wanted to dive into Davis' life and show the world what was going on through his eyes using my personal ideas, including the TK/Kari relationship. However, if there are Daikari or anti-Takari readers who might be reading this, I'm not really going to stress on the Takari, so there's no need for flames or anger. I'll try to create a non-hostile environment! Gomen! ^_^;;

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, but if the people who do own it are reading this, as unlikely as it may transpire, I have only one thing to say to you: You magnificent bastards, I salute you!

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...I opened my eyes, only to see white...nothing but white. I looked all around...still more white space. Was I dead? Is this what death is like? I walked forward...at least I thought it was forward...still nothing. I continued on for what I believed to be approximately five minutes, then I heard a faint whisper in the air. It was indiscernible at the time, but it got louder as I kept going, so I knew I was doing something right for once...I hope.

After a little while longer walking to who knows where, an odd silhouette appeared in the distance. I couldn't identify what or who it was at first, but as I closed in, it became eerily familiar. It was definitely not a human's shape...no. There were horns, spikes, and wings. It had to be a digimon. From the shadows, I could also see that it was carrying a colossal sword, which was also recognizable in design. The figure was now close enough for me to differentiate colour. Primarily he was white, with golden highlights on his body. There was only one digimon I could recall who fit the description flawlessly...ImperialDramon Paladin Mode.

I remembered him from about four and a half years ago. Diablomon had somehow revived himself and came back stronger than ever before as the massive Armagemon. He escaped from the internet to plague the real world. Things looked lost when not even Omnimon could quell the beast, but I couldn't just give up. Thankfully me and Ken arrived with our partners fully digivolved to ImperialDramon Fighter Mode. The battle proved to much for our shared digimon as well, but miraculously, Omnimon loaned us his immense power in the form of a sword. When ImperialDramon firmly grasped the sword with both of his hands, a new hope was born. He became the ultimate warrior of the side of light, and vanquished the vile monster, thus saving both worlds.

I smiled for once in a long time, at least I was good for something at one point...but then my thoughts drifted back on the "perfect couple", TK and Kari. They always had the strongest digimon, so I'm sure that Seraphimon and Magnadramon could have defeated the threat with little to no effort. My smile quickly faded off my face. The great, white digimon walked towards me with big strides. When he got within a few yards of me, he knelt down so I did not have to strain my neck as far to look up. He looked at me for a silent moment - just stared as if he was trying to examine me. I didn't know what to do, so I just stared back. Finally, he ended the silence by speaking in his majestic, dual voice.

"Daisuke Motimiya." He simply said.

"Yes?" I said back.

"Where are your goggles?" He asked. Where were my goggles? That was a weird question to ask. My goggles were the least of my concern at the moment. I wasn't going to stand there like an idiot, so I quickly spoke up.

"Umm...I haven't worn them in two months. They're on my nightstand at home." I answered. Indeed they were. On the morning after the party when I was about to put them on like I normally do each day. That day I just inspected them.

~*~*~*~*~_Flashback_~*~*~*~*~

Those two months ago I just stared at them and myself. The feelings of inadequacy were taunting me as I gazed at my bedroom mirror. I looked upon nothing special - my face. Never before had I felt such disappointment. 

"Such a simple thing." I said to myself quietly, as not to wake up my digimon partner. "What is it, really? It's just two concave lenses bound by hard plastic and an elastic strap. One simple, little accessory in my hand brands me as how others view me. These damned goggles are why this misery is upon me. If I never wore these, maybe Kari wouldn't have thought of me as a carbon copy of Tai"

I was tempted to smash them on my dresser right then and there, but I didn't. Perhaps it was because they were of huge sentimental value to Tai, or perhaps there was something to them that made me feel special - like a true leader. I don't know. I was confused as much as I was angry, so I just put them back on the dresser. I couldn't bear to put them on...

~*~*~*~*~_End Flashback_~*~*~*~*~

...and I never could ever since. After snapping back to reality I posed a question to the giant warrior.

"Why would you ask about something so trivial as my goggles?" I inquired. "Why are they of any importance?" Silence followed. He just continued to glare at me. Why did I ask those two questions? I should be asking about what's happening.

"Well could you tell me as to where I am, or how I got here?" I tried again. The mega smirked.

"It would appear that you wish to be in a world without goggles." He finally said. Huh? A world without goggles? He was either being very profound, or he just wasn't making any sense.

"I don't quite follow." I stated. "What are you trying to say?"

"You are the child who brought together Courage, Friendship, and Miracles." Said the digimon. "Yet you wish to be cast into a lonely, fearful, and hopeless world that has given up - a world without goggles. This perplexes me greatly."

"You're not making this any easier for me to understand." I said in a slightly peeved tone. "Now how do I get back home?"

"I shall send you on your way." He responded. "You shall be sent to your desired location."

That was the most straightforward thing he said so far, and even then it sounded like there was something more to this unpleasant little affair. He raised his majestic blade high and the void became dark. As my surroundings dimmed, I faintly heard the paladin speak.

"I hope you find wherever it is you belong..."

What did he mean by that? There are so many unanswered questions overflowing in my head.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When my vision came back to me, I was facedown on the street. My head ached, so I closed my eyes tightly because of the pain. I lifted myself up from the ground and stood up. The surroundings didn't sound like the usual sounds I'm accustomed to hearing in my neighbourhood, so I slowly opened my eyes. As my sight started coming into focus, I came to realize what was going on. I stood there, stupefied at the scene. What had happened? How long have I been gone?

Around me was a world that looked similar to mine that had been ravaged by darkness and destruction. The sky was so dark, it appeared that it would be able to absorb and engulf any source of light. Across the cityscape, which I believe is the one I call my home, buildings had collapsed, while others lay in ruin and fire. It went on like this for as far as I could see. The area was eerily silent and devoid of any life. A chilling wind howled ominously across the street I was standing in.

Wait a minute! My home! I turned to face my apartment complex...which was now a large mound of debris. I shook my head in disbelief. My family...my friends...where were they all? Were they alright? Again was I bombarded with scores of questions just yearning to be answered...but where to have them satisfied? As I began walking towards what was left of my building, I uttered the biggest question on my mind.

"Just where did he send me...?"

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To be continued...

Yes I know...short. I've probably pissed a few of you off who I know want more. Well my quantity of writing is suffering because of university, which proves to be boring and hardly challenging at the present time.

Why ImperialDramon Paladin Mode, you ask? The criteria for a guardian angel of sorts for Davis was trickier than, oh let's say for the sake of example, Angewomon for Kari. Well, since he's a part of the Veemon evolutionary line from the anime (fortunately and coincidentally the final level) and was the closest thing to looking like an angel, he got conscripted!

As always, review and share your thoughts.


	3. Daisuke's Inferno

Ok, this chapter is probably going to be short as well, but at least I got it out ahead of schedule. Wait a minute...what schedule? It's not like I do this for a living...and...oh never mind. Enjoy reading what little I can offer you, and perhaps you will be satisfied by just a bit.

Disclaimer: _Insert witty, humorous, yet tacky comment as to why I don't own Digimon here..._

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I still could not comprehend what was occurring. None of it was adding up at all. The only conclusion I could draw at the time was that I was thrown into some alternate dimension, like the one where me and the others encountered MaloMyotismon. However, it still looked frighteningly familiar to the real world. Wherever I was, I was sure that I could find answers within the pile of rubble where my apartment building would have stood.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After about an hour and a half of rummaging through the wreckage, I found something I recognized. It was a wooden nameplate that simply read "Motimiya Residence". It was the decoration that went on my family's front door! My scouring became more frantic as I dug deeper into the ruins. After a few minutes I chanced upon a tattered scrapbook. When I dusted off the cover I noticed that it was one of my family's photo albums. At least, it looked as if it was.

If I recall, the first picture in the book is this year's family portrait. We take a photo every year to update the book. When I turned to the first page, the creased photo was indeed there, but something was amiss. I could see my parents and Jun in the picture rather clearly, but there was a smudge over where I was. I cleaned the blotch off with my sleeve...but I was not present in the photo. As I inspected the photo further, I noticed that my family did not look as happy as one would when taking a photo. They seemed to have a look of fear and uncertainty in their eyes. This was starting to make less sense. How could I have not been in the picture, another theory was formulating in my head.

"This _is_ the real world, but not the one I left behind...I must have gone into the future." I uttered to no one in particular. I took another look around at my surroundings. "It looks like I've been gone for years...maybe even centuries. It would explain why I wasn't in the picture. My family must have taken it some time after my disappearance...but where are they. I'm all alone out here." Where was my family? Where were all the people? What had happened? Where had I been? How long had I been gone? The questions began to cause my headache to resurface. I was starting to feel a bit nauseous, so I sat down to rest a bit.

It became apparent to me that I was not going to find anymore answers where I was situated, so I thought about where I should go next. The answer was clear: Tai and Kari's apartment. Surely Tai would know what was going on, and I could see if Kari was alright. Yes, it's true that I still feel bitter and short-changed, but I still harbour deep-seated feelings for her. As much as I tried to deny it over the last two months, a part of me still believes...or more so...hopes, that Kari would reciprocate these feelings if she just knew how I felt. I set off, wishing for a miracle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Along the way, I saw nothing but devastation. The deathly wind continued to howl eerily across the cracked roads. I just could not believe that the city had been utterly destroyed. What if it wasn't the city alone? What if all of Japan...or even the whole world was like this? I shuddered at the thought. What could have caused all this destruction? As if on cue, an answer literally came to me.

"Spinning Needle!"

I turned quickly enough to see a digimon attack hurtling at me at a tremendous speed. I quickly dived into an alley close by as the ball of energy careened with the ground. The resulting explosion caused a swarming cloud of smoke and ash to billow. I thought back to my time in the digital world. We had to run for our lives a lot, so we learned many methods of eluding the enemy. I used this dust cloud to conceal myself from my attacker.

I looked up through the dirty residue to confirm the aggressor. It was indeed an Airdramon. I knew this kind of digimon quite well. Airdramon were like the sky raiders of the Digital World...but why was there one in the real world? Some of this was adding up, and I didn't like the sum. The giant dragon screeched and opened it's mouth wide to attempt another attack. I quickly looked around for a way of escape. I had to think fast before I was bombarded with the blast.

"Spinning Needle!"

Damn it! Only mere seconds before I get eradicated. I looked at the ground and noticed an open sewer. Success! What luck! I hurriedly fell through the manhole just milliseconds before the assault hit the ground. I landed hard on the concrete and blacked out...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

..."Are you alright"?

After an unknown period of time, I heard that voice, but fortunately...or unfortunately, it wasn't ImperialDramon. It was a young man's voice, and a very familiar one at that. When I opened my eyes, the figure standing before me came into focus. Finally a friendly sight after all this darkness and despair!

"Cody, thank goodness you're alright!" I exclaimed. "Where are all the people?"

He looked the same from when I last saw him, stature wise, but that's where the similarities ended. Apparently I had not gone as far into the future as I previously anticipated. It was probably a couple of years...five at the maximum. Cody looked a little more built physically than I remembered him, though. His hair was wild and untamed like Tai's, but was still fairly short. His clothing was raggedy and tattered, and his face and skin were smeared with soot. What the hell happened to him?!

"Excuse me, do I know you?" He asked, curiously. Did I miss something here?

"Is something wrong?" I asked back. "It's me, Davis, don't you recognize me? Do I look different to you or something?"

"You must be mistaken." He responded. "I've never met you before in my life. You must have hit your head pretty hard, judging from that massive swelling on your head." I felt my forehead and indeed felt a large bruise. "How is it you know my name? I'm not that well known among the resistance." Resistance? What was that? I know Cody was mysterious by nature, but this was beyond even what I'm used to from him.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused. "I've known you for several years."

"Alright, you're not making any sense." He stated. "I think you hit your head harder than I thought. Follow me, I shall take you to our local doctor."

What's going on? I think I did miss something here. I know I'm not the quickest to figuring things out, but this wasn't easy to decipher. Rather than inflicting more mystification upon myself, I agreed to follow him. Perhaps he could lead me to some answers. We began our journey through the sewers, which did not smell as bad as I anticipated. I thought of straightforward questions that I could ask Cody that wouldn't end with me scratching my head in a puzzled fashion. I began with small talk to break the ice.

"Well...I...expected the sewers to smell worse than this!" I said with a false sense of humour. It wasn't the best opener by far, but it was all I could think of at the time, given the circumstances. He glared back at me with a hint of annoyance on his face.

"Are you new to this area?" Cody inquired.

"Umm...no, I've lived in this part of town my whole life." I answered. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Then where have you been living?" He asked.

"In an apartment, of course." I replied. He stopped suddenly, and so I did the same. He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt.

"Are you trying to insult me or something?!" He yelled. His voice echoed loudly in the narrow passageways. I've never known Cody to be this irritable and aggressive. What happened to him?

"No, of course not!" I quickly said. He inspected my clothes, which had seen better days.

"Oh I get it." He sneered. "I thought they just abducted women, but the fact that a man such as yourself would do it willingly...it just sickens me!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, as I fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Stop acting like such an imbecile!" He demanded, as he shook me again with incredible strength. "The digimon that side with the Three take away women as personal slaves...my mother included. My grandfather fought to save her, but was killed in the process. How could you sell your soul like that?!" His mother kidnapped?! His grandfather dead?! Where was I when this happened?!

"When did this all happen? Who or what are the Three?" I asked, yearning to learn more. He loosened his grip.

"Has your mind been damaged?" He asked back. I shook my head. "Then where the hell do you _really_ come from? Tell me the truth this time!" I had to think about how to answer this. Apparently he couldn't remember me for some reason that eluded me. He didn't seem satisfied with the fact that I lived here, so I guess I could make something up.

"I guess you could say I'm from another world and another time." I responded. It was sort of a half truth. Heh, I guess I was using ImperialDramon's logic. He looked at me strangely, as if trying to validate my statement. He took a heavy sigh.

"Come on, let's get you to the doctor before you start spouting more gibberish." He concluded. We continued on through the darkened tunnels. This was getting harder and harder for me to figure out, and surely the answers were becoming farther and farther to reach...

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To be continued...

The plot thickens!

I hope that some of you found my naming of this chapter amusing. For some reason, it reminded me of _Dante's Inferno_ as I was writing it, where Davis is Dante and Cody is Virgil. Just some lame, literary humour on my part! x_x

As always, review and share your thoughts.


	4. Shocking Revelations

Scary university midterms are in season, and I am terrified out of my wits. Nevertheless I will forge on to bring this enigmatic tale to you, my loyal readers (if any).

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, but perhaps Santa will get it for me for Christmas...oh wait...you have to be _nice_ to get a gift. Sigh, I'm getting rather tired of coal...x_x; Perhaps the Prince of Darkness can supply me them for Halloween...although that contract for my soul looks a bit too airtight to me.

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I was getting rather uncomfortable with the overwhelming silence as me and Cody walked through the sewers. I did not want to agitate Cody any further, but my mind was still aching to have its questions satisfied. My curiosity overwhelmed my manners as I dared to ask some more about what was going on with the world. I only hoped that Cody would be willing to answer without giving me a strange stare or a swift punch.

"What's your name?" He asked me all of a sudden. I still found this rather odd, but I answered him anyway.

"My name's Davis." I responded.

"Well welcome to Odaiba, Davis." Cody said with a hint of cynicism. I could also hear sorrow in his voice. I had to learn why my home had gone through this travesty.

"I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions; it might help jog my memory." I lied. "If that's alright with you."

"Well...if it will help your memory...fine." Muttered Cody. Thank goodness Cody still retained his manners...for the most part.

"How long has Odaiba been like this?" I inquired. He gave me a strange look, but at least it wasn't a stare.

"It's been like this for four years." He regretfully stated. Four years?! I've been gone for four years. A new theory had been formulating in my head, because of these inconsistencies, but I could not be absolutely sure until I had more proof. "Ever since the Three overtook our world, it has forever been in darkness."

"Are you implying that the whole world is like this?!" I exclaimed. He slowly nodded.

"Five years ago when I became involved in this gigantic mess, everything, for the most part, was under control." Cody stated. "Me and the others were able to keep the hermit at bay." Hermit...who was that?

"I'm assuming that you and your friends are the Digidestined." I said.

"I see that some of your memory is coming back." Said Cody. "Of course, everyone knows about us - it's just common knowledge."

"So who is this hermit?" I asked.

"The hermit was the start of all the trouble." Cody began. "When me and my friend, Yolei, first learned about the Digital World from our friends Kari...and TK, who were part of the original group of Digidestined. We had just received our Digivices and were so eager to learn more. Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into. The responsibility was greater than I anticipated. We discovered that we had to defend two different worlds from those who wished to destroy the balance. The first threat that we faced was a dark child that dubbed himself, the Digimon Emperor. He is the hermit that I mentioned." So the hermit was Ken...but why?

"And why is he a hermit?" I questioned.

"Well...our battles with the emperor were long and arduous." He replied. "He ambitiously tried to conquer the Digital World, but we narrowly managed to defeat him. He was an actual Digidestined child, with a partner that he abused. They miraculously made amends with one another, but we could never accept him into our group. I especially despised him. Tai, our leader...and TK had suggested that we forgive him...but they never put up any valid arguments for the group to accept Ken."

Something was starting to make sense, and I didn't like where it was directing me. Cody didn't recognize me; the world had been turned upside down; and Ken wasn't forgiven. What did it all mean? Well, I was probably getting closer to the answer. I was about to explain why Ken behaved the way he did because of the Dark Spore, but I don't think that Cody would have accepted that. Plus, I did not want to be grabbed by my collar again.

"So who are the Three?" I wondered. "They seem to be the ones responsible for the devastation."

"I would have thought that you would have known this, despite your temporary amnesia, but I guess I can re-teach you." Cody told me. "The Three are three very dark and twisted digimon who each have unfathomable power. Because of their malicious nature, each of the Three do not trust any of the other two. In fact, they have destroyed the cities of the world and have almost obliterated the Digital World in their constant battles for supremacy. One might ally with the other, and then later double-cross their temporary ally by joining forces with the other. This just continues on in a cruel cycle that harms and kills both innocent digimon and humans alike." That gruesome fact was hard and terrifying for me to process.

"Well that explains who they are in general, but who are they specifically?" I asked again.

"They came one at a time, really." Cody started. "We had been holding our own with these two ultimate digimon, Arukenimon and Mummymon. They were challenging adversaries and even created the powerful BlackWarGreymon, who thankfully later defected. However he sacrificed himself at a time when we needed him the most. The first of the Three came with his own demented, yet powerful forces. Our digimon barely survived their assault, but we could not handle their master...Daemon."

"Daemon?! That's impossible! We sent him to the Dark Ocean!" I exclaimed. Cody looked at me, as if to say, 'what the hell are you talking about?', so I said never mind.

"As I was saying, Daemon proved to be far too mighty for our digimon to defeat, so we had to fall back." Continued Cody. "Our group desperately thought of ways that we could stop him, but whenever we tried them on subsequent battles, they proved to be useless. Just as we thought that matters could not get any worse, a second powerful digimon emerged from the Digiport...MaloMyotismon. The older Digidestined had told us stories about Myotismon, but I never expected for us to face him. All this time he hid himself away. Though we never saw Arukenimon nor Mummymon ever again, MaloMyotismon more than made up for those two." He took a heavy sigh. "One of my friends kept track of several Digidestined all over the world, but we could never organize a joint attack. The distances were too great. MaloMyotismon also opened gates all over the world, I believe. Wild digimon flooded into our world and wreaked havoc in several cities. We could not travel to these affected areas, so the local Digidestined had no choice but to destroy the renegade digimon." I could tell that he was bitter about that last fact. "Thankfully MaloMyotismon had to also concentrate his efforts on quelling the competition, namely Daemon. Our world had gone into complete chaos on many levels, and it rested on the shoulders of the Digidestined. Of course, much to our dismay, there came a third..."

Alright, that one I know was destroyed. If only they knew how MaloMyotismon came into being; they would have understood how serious a threat he was. Hmm...it is becoming apparent to me that there is more to this world than meets the eye. I tried to predict who was the third member. There were only a small handful of digimon that were extraordinarily strong. I took a wild guess at who the third and final digimon was.

"...Armagemon." I uttered. Cody nodded.

"He was as strong as the other two." Cody stated. "We even tried a desperate tactic: bringing Omnimon into being once more. We all thought that Omnimon would be strong enough to take on the massive beast, and perhaps even the other two. He was our strongest ally and was thus our last hope. Regrettably, not even the awesome might of Omnimon was enough...If only we could have been a bit more stronger - even by a small margin - we might have had the necessary power enough to save both worlds...but that miracle never came throughout our trials...never. The survivors of this world are all scattered about. We are all alone and in constant fear...and our hope is no more."

I suddenly remembered something that ImperialDramon told me in the transitive void.

_You are the child who brought together Courage, Friendship, and Miracles. Yet you wish to be cast into a lonely, fearful, and hopeless world that has given up - a world without goggles._

Oh...dear...God! The resolution to my biggest question had came to me in an inundation. Cody had reminded me about the paladin digimon's cryptic words. They were almost exactly the same, content-wise. The 'world without goggles' is the world I am in now! I owned the Digimentals of Courage, Friendship, and Miracles. The qualities of this word that ImperialDramon gave, repeated by Cody, were practically the opposite traits of the qualities that I am supposed to stand for! So once I piece this in the abstract equation before me..._I_ am what is missing...I...do...not...exist.

Hey! What do you know - I figured it out! I _am_ smarter than I think I am! But still...why am I of such great importance? Why wasn't Tai or one of the others granted the power of my Digimentals in this world? How do I really fit in the more in-depth equation? Ouch! My head began to throb again. I guess one epiphany at a time is sufficient for someone like me. I could figure out the rest later...as well as a way out of this nightmare.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a half-hour more of walking we came to a wide opening filled with shocking sights. Before me was a crude settlement where I saw several people going about their lives. It was a giant, underground subway station that had been refurbished - albeit poorly - into a massive living space. There were some one-story buildings created out of concrete and stone, but for the most part, tents were littered across the whole scene. The people all looked so sad and hopeless - there was no shine in their eyes. Their skin and faces were rather dirty, and some children looked a bit malnourished. Is this what the rest of the world is going through, too? I shed a tear in empathy.

"The doctor is just a bit further." Cody said to me. "It's one of the larger buildings farther down."

We passed by many of these tents, which I saw were where the majority of the people slept. Several of them looked at me curiously, and some were a bit anxious. I was relatively clean - maybe a few scratches - but still in good shape, so I guess I was standing out more than I would desire.

We finally got to the door to what looked like a makeshift clinic. Cody opened the door and the two of us went inside. The clinic was kept a lot cleaner than the rest of the area, but the environment wasn't as sterile as one would expect an ordinary clinic to be. I heard the cry of a young child in the background, and noticed several people in the waiting area. Apparently this was the only local medical office around. A person dressed in a white robe came out of one of the rooms. Immediately I recognized the man from his hair and glasses, though the hair was messy and long, and the glasses were kind of bent. He approached us when he noticed Cody.

"Good to see you, Joe." I said, after he greeted Cody.

"Hello...who are you, exactly?" He replied as he adjusted his glasses. I took a deep sigh. This was going to be a long night...

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To be continued...

Fascinating...Now that I think of it, Cody's description of the Three reminded me of the three powers (Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia) in the book, _1984_, by George Orwell (a profound book - overall and on the topic of dystopias). They always were in a "state of war" with one another, battling for global supremacy. Of course, each were about even in strength, so this was impossible. Perhaps this slipped into my subconscious since I was born in 1984 and loved the book...probably...who knows!

As always, review and share your thoughts.


	5. Missing Miracles

Life just gets harder and harder. How I wish I was back in high school again! Well here's chapter five (after all this time). I don't know how I incorporated all that classic literature; I guess it just slipped into my subconscious. It wasn't really intentional, so don't feel disappointed if I don't follow through! However, I will try my best to see if anything else can be borrowed from the novels that I have read.

Disclaimer: Ownership of Digimon? Don't look at me!

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Here I was in a bleak underground settlement, in this alternate world of sorts. Before me and beside me were Joe and Cody, respectively, and neither really knew who I was. I now figured it would be best not to act like I know people to avoid further confusion and awkwardness.

Joe examined me and my clothes. The look on his face conveyed curiousity and bafflement. I had yet to answer his question.

"Oh, Sorry!" I apologized. "Sometimes I get ahead of myself. My name's Davis. It's just kind of exciting meeting you after hearing so much about you."

Cody gave me a quizzical yet sarcastic look, and Joe stared blankly at me for a few seconds before finally blinking. I blushed slightly. Covering up my tracks on the spot was never one of my strengths.

"Anyway...Joe, how has the practice going these days?" Cody asked. "I know I haven't been around lately because of my reconnaissance duties, so I thought I would inquire."

"I'm glad to see that you still have a sense of formality, Cody," Joe stated with a small chuckle. "Many resistance fighters lose that."

Ha! I wonder why _I_ wasn't treated with that kind of formality.

"Well look at our leader." Cody smirked, cynically. "He was never one for that. Think of the example he gives."

Joe laughed at this. I had my suspicions on who the leader might be. It had to be Tai.

"With regards to the volume of patients, I'm afraid that there's been a bit of an increase," Joe added, getting serious again. "And a lot of the faces that end up in my clinic these days are young kids that think they can fight alongside their fathers and us Digidestined." The young doctor deeply sighed as he took off his glasses to wipe them clean. "You have to admire their spirit, but they're lacking in wisdom. The frontline is for Digidestined, their digimon, and supporting resistance fighters."

This was too much for me to digest. I never really thought about the fight against the dark digimon in such a warlike context. When it was me fighting alongside my friends, I wasn't really the one in the battle; it was always our digimon. In this world, people were getting seriously injured, and were even dying. And those who were not even on the battlefield were living in such poor conditions. 

My heart broke just watching the fear and despair in these people's faces. Did I really make that much of a difference...?

Suddenly a woman dressed up in the same attire as Joe came up to him in a rush.

"Dr. Kido," she panted. "The boy in room six is in critical condition!"

"Damn it!" cursed Joe, as he rushed after his associate.

Cody looked at me briefly and followed where the two were going. I decided to follow as well.

After a brief sprint down the hallway, we arrived at the room. I noticed a family waiting close outside the door, and they appeared to be praying. Cody walked in, while I stood at the doorway and peered inside the rustic room. Joe and several others - which I assumed were doctors and/or nurses - were scrambling around this boy who appeared to be badly injured. His eyes were tightly shut and his head was bandaged. It was horrible. I could see the blood staining the sheets...and there was a copious amount. Upon closer inspection, I estimated that the boy had to be no older than twelve, which is about how old _I_ was when me and the others fought the dark digimon in my world. Things like this shouldn't happen...

The commotion inside the room was intense. Joe and a few others were barking orders around at a constant rate. I heard bits and pieces referring to how the boy had lost too much blood, how they didn't have any adequate supplies or technology, and how the child wasn't going to survive for much longer. I shook my head slightly in disbelief. The whole scene was so surreal

There was a nurse of sorts constantly holding the boy's hand by the wrist. All of a sudden, her face went pale and she calmly told Joe to come over where she was sitting. Joe then took the boy's wrist in his own hands and felt around. Oh no...she wasn't holding his hand for support...she was constantly checking for a pulse! I then noticed that the room did not have one of those machines that monitors the heart rate of a patient.

After about five minutes, Joe quietly told everyone to stand down and back away. He wrote something in a chart next to the bed, and then shut his eyes as he punched the wall beside him. The force of his fist hitting the wall caused some slight debris to fall from the ceiling. The assistant covered the sheet over the child's entire body, and wiped a few tears from her face. Cody went over to console Joe, but the young doctor recoiled when Cody touched his shoulder. I couldn't look away as much as I wanted to do so.

Cody approached me and motioned for us to leave. He needed to tug at me slightly for me to come to my senses. As we walked down the hallway, I peered back to see Joe slowly come up to the family outside. His expression was solemn, though I could see his eyes twitching. His lips moved, but his words were inaudible to me as I walked away with Cody. I saw the family huddle together and I could clearly hear them begin to wail. Joe just stood there silently and kept his head down. I felt just as bad for Joe as I did for the bereaved family...maybe even more so. It must be very difficult to be in Joe's position. I respected him and pitied him at the same time.

As we exited the clinic, Cody started heading off in a direction that was different from where we came. He took one of the lit torches that were draping the walls of the tunnel, and referred to a piece of paper that he unfolded from his pocket. I kept close behind him.

"Are you still going to follow me?" he asked, obviously annoyed with my presence. "I have a lot of duties to carry out and several places to go. It is not smart to stay alongside me."

"I'm a slow learner," I said sarcastically with a slight smile on my face. "Right now I have nowhere else to go. Perhaps I could be of help to you."

"I doubt that," Cody responded cynically, rolling his eyes. "But if you wish to continue following me, then suit yourself."

And so we continued away from the main area down another sewer pipe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The majority of our journey was traveled in silence. I was never one for awkwardness like this, so once again I began to converse with my guide to feel more at ease. There was one question in particular that I never got to ask, but should have.

"You're a Digidestined, correct?" I inquired to confirm. Cody nodded. "Then where is your digimon?"

"My digimon partner, Ankylomon, is at the frontline where he is needed most," He answered.

"Ankylomon? He doesn't stay in rookie form?" I questioned. I then covered my mouth quickly due to my outburst of revealing too much knowledge.

"What?" He said, stopping and looking back at me. I gave him a sheepish look and he scoffed, beginning to walk again. "I sometimes go many days without seeing my partner. It is necessary to keep him in champion form so he can battle any possible threats, even when I'm not present."

"That makes sense," I concurred. I faked ignorance in my next question. "Is Joe a Digidestined as well?"

"Yes, he is," Cody confirmed. "Though Joe has been without a partner as of late." He took a deep sigh, while my eyes went wide with shock. "It must be really lonely for him at times. Gomamon always kept Joe from getting too serious, so now that he's gone...Joe just buries himself in his practice. He rarely ever steps outside his clinic, and usually just sleeps in his office."

"That's terrible," I uttered in a whisper.

I wouldn't want to know the feeling of losing a partner like that. If I recall correctly, only TK and Ken ever lost their partners, and even then they both were reformatted. I doubt Primary Village was up and running given this world's bleak situation. I wonder where the other Digidestined were...

"Where are we headed right now?" I asked, realizing that I was clueless about our destination.

"We are on our way to a major command post," answered Cody. "This specific one houses most of our intelligence for situations happening in Japan, as well as the rest of the world. It is one of the few places we have that can give insight to global occurrences. We coordinate several tactical plans within this base. Much of the data gathered and compiled here is so essential to our survival. As such, we remain discrete about the location."

"If it's so important, then why are you telling me?" I queried, confused at his exposition. "Do you think you can trust me?"

"You know, I have been asking myself that same question," he replied, tilting his head as he seemingly processed his actions. "I cannot quite pinpoint why...but for some reason I feel like you can be trusted. There is something about you that makes me feel like I can hold you in the same regard as a friend. It makes no sense, considering how much of a hindrance you have been ever since I found you, but you strike me as the type that I can confide in...as odd as that sounds. I don't know. I always trust my instincts, and I am a good judge of character. I owe my grandfather for that..."

He slowed down to a halt and appeared to be reflecting somewhat. I put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned back to see me smiling weakly at him. It looked like his serious demeanor expression would soften, but he turned back and started walking again. The Cody I know is serious as well, but he knows when to smile. War really does change people...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After about fifteen minutes or so of walking through the underground labyrinth, we finally reached this large, metallic door. Cody knocked in a unique, rhythmic pattern, and a small, narrow panel on the door slid open. It quickly slid back to its original position and the door itself began to creak open. As I peered inside the room, I noticed all the technological equipment right away. The walls were decorated with wires and monitors, all giving off different readings. It was a fairly large room, and there were several people carrying out different tasks. All of them wore badges that appeared to be in the shape of a digivice. I assumed they were part of this resistance I had been hearing so much about.

As we walked into the room and people cleared away, I noticed the large table in the centre of the room...or more so what was on it. It was somewhat scratched, but there was no mistaking it. It was a Pineapple laptop. Cody went ahead of me and made his way through the small crowd. I followed closely and sure enough, we were face-to-face with a very scruffy and long-haired Izzy. He quickly greeted Cody.

"Who's your companion?" Izzy asked as he inspected me.

"This is Davis," Cody introduced. "I recently found him laying unconscious in the sewers, and he's been following me ever since. For some reason, I feel that he might be useful. I believe he is safe to see and hear sensitive information."

"I trust your judgment, Cody," Izzy affirmed. "If someone as cautious as you can trust him, then I can, too." He turned to me. "Welcome to DigiCommand 1, Davis. I consider it the best tactical command site in all of Japan."

"DigiCommand 1? Did you name it?" I inquired.

"That I did," responded Izzy with a smug grin on his face. I laughed inwardly at Izzy's predictable nature. "It's powered by a large generator, which is in turn powered by my digimon partner's electrical energy."

"Before I forget, here's the data you wanted, Izzy," Cody mentioned, reaching into his pocket. He retrieved a diskette and handed it to Izzy. "As you requested, that is all the recent combat data from the intelligence post nearest the frontline."

I was never one for technical jargon, so I wandered off to look at some of the different screens lining the inner perimeter of the room. One monitor in particular instantly caught my attention. It was a three-dimensional layout of a world that was completely dark and barren.

"That looks like the world of the Dark Ocean," I said to no one in particular.

"I wish it was," A familiar, feminine voice said from behind me. I turned around to see a young lady with messy purple hair, and fogged glasses. She shook my hand and 'introduced' herself. "My name's Yolei. Who might you be?"

"Davis," I simply stated.

"Well, Davis, that is the Digital World," she revealed. Part of me was expecting that to be the case, but I was still shocked to see how badly the world had deteriorated. "It's practically inhospitable now. Most digimon have fled to our world, but ours is deteriorating as well..."

"These are truly dark times," I sadly muttered.

"Tell me, Davis, do you think that things will get better? That we'll win?" she inquired. When I said that I did think so, she smirked at me. "I'm amazed there are still people like you." I was confused. "Most of us believe...no...know that there is no chance of winning this war."

"Then why do you continue fighting?" I questioned. "What is the point if you know you cannot win?"

"We continue to fight so that we can go on existing," Yolei solemnly answered. "There is no way we can reclaim either this world or the Digital one. We just do not have the strength required to fight the Three. We fight to survive - to live. People get injured and killed so often just so that the rest may live...and even that can't be guaranteed. It's funny how we take being alive for granted..."

"How can you say that?!" I retorted. "Don't you have faith in your people and digimon?"

"Faith is insufficient to win this war," she smirked. "What we need is a miracle. And I doubt we'll be getting one anytime soon...or at all." I cringed slightly. "We're on our own here. And-"

A siren started blaring in the room, cutting Yolei off from what she was saying. Amidst the flashing lights, I noticed some text on the central screen. It read, "Incoming Emergency Message". The screen then changed and displayed the panicked face of a beautiful girl with brown, frizzy hair. She appeared to be in some sort of bunker. To my shock, it was Mimi.

Her pretty face had a few scratches on it, but she was still rather radiant. The signal was adjusted so we could properly hear what she was trying to say. Me and Yolei approached the central desk where Cody and Izzy were situated. Izzy was desperately trying to ensure the signal's integrity, while everyone huddled around the middle of the room.

"...situation in New York is critical...command circuit...overrun...losses too great...I-"

We saw her turn around as the start of an explosion was seen behind her only a few meters from where she was broadcasting. Suddenly, the screen was nothing but static. There was a brief and awkward moment of silence.

"No...not again...not again..." Izzy muttered while he frantically tried to establish a connection. Everyone began talking in worried, yet hushed tones. "Damn...damn...not again..."

"Mimi..." I gasped, her name barely escaping my mouth. Could she be...?

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To be continued...

-Sorry for the gastronomical delay! I've gotten back in the groove of writing, so expect an update soon.

-I expect to finish this story next chapter, so stay tuned! 


	6. Something Special

Author's Notes: Some of you seem a bit surprised that I'm going to finish this story in this chapter. You must realize that I wanted to finally finish this piece so I can get to work on others. As well, it's been on the backburner for so long, it deserved closure. I'll try my best to make this monster of a final chapter (which I should have released in smaller packets for consistency) a good ending.

Disclaimer: I don't plan on owning Digimon, so take your high-priced lawyers elsewhere.

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I didn't get any rest. Here I was laying on one of the cots in the sleeping quarters of DigiCommand 1. How could I sleep when my mind was infested with so much worry and ill thoughts? Mimi's safety was a major concern. Was she hurt? ...Was she dead? I didn't even want to think about such a scenario. I was worried about all of the Digidestined, the digimon, the people of this world, and the future that was in store. I also wondered if I would be stranded in this world. Would I go back to the home I knew or not? My heart pounded in my chest and my stomach felt queasy just thinking about the horrible possibilities. My mind was churning out answerless questions so fast, causing the dizziness to intensify. I suppose I'll worry about things as they come. I was always one for acting on the spur of the moment.

All I knew was that it wasn't productive at the moment to dwell on my thoughts when so many travesties were happening even as I lay in bed. In other words, it was unwise for me to remain lost and without direction. Right now there were people that needed help, and I was willing to supply any I could muster.

I had become increasingly bored just lying there, so I decided to get up and see what was happening in the control room. As I peered in, I saw Izzy and Yolei working late at the computers. I chuckled to myself lightly. Worlds may change, but some things always stay the same. I tried listening to what they were saying to each other.

"Yolei, have you got a fix on any New York installations?" Izzy inquired, madly typing at his laptop.

"Not as such, no," Yolei responded. "There's not even a single distress beacon active."

"This is insane," commented Izzy. "We haven't received a single reply from their central command ever since Mimi contacted us. How far are you tracking this communications blackout?" Yolei's eyes went slightly wide.

"...I-I cannot track anything within a five hundred mile radius of New York's central command," she uttered.

"What?!" Izzy spat out. "Five hundred?! How can an area of that magnitude disappear from our sensors in such a quick interval?!"

"I don't know; I don't know," Yolei commented frantically, furiously typing away at a console. "This doesn't make any sense whatsoever. What do we do, Izzy?"

"Try to patch into the communications network south of the effected zone. Hopefully we can get in touch with Willis," Izzy quickly replied. "We need to know what's happening and we need to know now. Willis and his forces are currently our best bet at finding out the current situation in New York."

"I can only hope that they're holding back the enemy," I whispered to no one. Izzy and Yolei said nothing more. All that was heard after between the both of them was the clacking of the keyboards.

"I would be hoping that they are still alive," a voice from behind me whispered. I turned around to see Cody observing the same scene behind me.

"What?!" I simply questioned, looking at him incredulously.

"Izzy and Yolei both see it," said Cody. "Daemon has always known that New York is a major stronghold, so his minions constantly battle for it. He claimed that part of the world some time ago. I am not sure if you know this, but Daemon's dark hand covers the Americas, Armagemon has infested Europe and Africa, and MaloMyotismon's territory is that of Asia and Australia."

"They have control over the entire world?!" I asked, shocked.

"It is a sad reality that many people still do not acknowledge," he answered, sighing. "Some people like yourself still cling onto hope, but I am far more pessimistic. Pessimism helps you keep a firm grasp on reality, and more importantly...it keeps you alive." He paused for a moment, almost reflecting. I pitied him. "We should get going soon. It will be getting rather hectic here." I just lowered my head and nodded.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cody and I were walking through the sewer system again, and the silence was making me feel uncomfortable...again. I wanted to say something to lighten the mood.

"I'm sure Mimi and the others will pull through," I stated almost cheerfully. "Don't you think they're fine?" Silence. "...Well...don't you, Cody?"

"We are heading above ground onto the battlefield," he said, skirting the issue I mentioned. "Be on your guard." It became apparent to me that he probably thought the incident in New York was a lost cause. Even though Cody had been nothing but dreary and depressing ever since I "met" him, this really hit deep. At times like this, people need a sense of togetherness. They'll all fall apart at this rate.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When we exited the sewer system and came out onto the surface, I saw that it was still very dark and as silent as death itself. I had no sense of what time it was. We began our trek through the ghost town that was once Odaiba. The cracked streets were lined with rubble, and the buildings still standing were decaying and lacking windows. It was a dismal setting to witness. I shuddered just looking around at the destruction. The city was filled with so many haunting memories and secrets that I dared not uncover.

"It's still night?" I questioned. Cody sighed as if I asked a stupid question. I cursed myself for my rash mouth.

"No, Davis, it is morning," he answered. It was worse than I thought. "I cannot remember the last time I saw sunlight." He chuckled slightly. "One normally takes something that is seemingly so trivial for granted. The darkness that covers our world blocks out the sun. Either you have forgotten this, or you have never been to the surface before." I decided not to speak anymore to avoid anything further.

After walking for a few minutes, I heard faint sound of metal scraping. Cody stopped dead in his tracks, which meant he probably heard it, too. He narrowed his eyes as he surveyed our surroundings. He cautiously continued walking, unable to detect anything from his brief scan. I swore there was something there. I couldn't quite place it, but my heart felt strange. It was as if I could feel its warm beat _externally_. It was odd. I felt as though we were being watched by something or someone. Whatever or whoever it was, it felt creepy yet familiar.

"So where exactly are we headed now?" I asked.

"We are on our way to a fortified bunker located by the pier," replied Cody. "Izzy requested that I inform the resistance leader about what is happening in New York."

"Ah, I see," I simply stated. This was excellent. Finally I would be able to see Tai, and possibly Kari. I'm sure Tai still has hope that they'll win. We're both like that - headstrong and brash to a fault.

I quickly turned around to see if we were being followed after getting that same bizarre feeling again, but there was nothing there.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a lot of walking, we eventually made it to Odaiba's harbour. The water was still and a disgusting, murky colour. The shoreline was littered with wrecked ships and other bits of rubble. I knew the harbour to be such a beautiful and pristine setting, but now I saw nothing but desecration. I gazed over the horizon and I swore I could make out a Devidramon soaring across the blackened sky. Cody seemed to pick up the pace, so I followed suit.

We made our way to a covered manhole on the boardwalk that was slightly larger than normal. Cody uncovered the lid. I found it rather odd that this bunker would be out in the open.

"Is this really it?" I asked, unsure. "This doesn't seem like a safe location."

"It only appears that way to the untrained eye," he responded. "An ally of ours named Gennai developed an invisible barrier during the original adventures in the Digital World. We implemented the same algorithm here to conceal this location from onlookers."

"So, it's like a hologram?" I inquired.

"To an extent, yes it is," stated Cody. He climbed down into the hatch. "I need you to stay here for a few minutes while I inform security that I have brought someone along with me."

His head disappeared from view as he descended into the manhole. I sat down on the ground and waited for Cody's return, but as I was getting comfortable I had that feeling yet again. I heard a rustling noise near where I was sitting, so I stood up and walked carefully over to the source to investigate.

There was this small pile of debris before me and as I approached it, an unkempt figure suddenly emerged. His clothing was ragged and stripped of colour. His deep, violet hair was long and shaggy. As he stood there, slightly hunched over, his body was shaking slightly as if he was shivering. Even in this decrepit form, I still knew who he was. I now understood why I was able to sense him.

"Hello, Ken," I simply greeted. He backed away slightly.

"You," he spat out, pointing accusingly at me. "How is it you know my name? Have you been sent to kill me?!"

"Uh...no," I slowly responded. "Call it a lucky guess."

"Lies!" Ken retorted. "You're out to get me; I know it. You were calling to me...to trap me."

"How was I calling to you?" I asked, even more confused. "Why would I want to trap you?"

"That's what I would like to know!" he ranted. "You were using mind tricks or something. I could feel something. I could feel you. They want me out of the way. They all do."

"Who?" I curiously inquired.

"The Digidestined," Ken answered. "It's all my fault. I don't blame them. This all started because of me. I avoid them and they avoid me. It's all my fault. I didn't see it. I didn't realize. I forsook him. Wormmon. He saw, but I can't get him back...because of what I did. We're doomed because of what I did. We're all going to die, and it's my fault. Kill me if you must. If I don't die by your hands, I'll be slain by a digimon. It's the least I deserve. My life should be forfeit."

"Ken," I uttered in a soft tone. I felt so very sorry for him. If only he knew that it wasn't his fault. "You don't understand. It's not your fault at all." He looked at me strangely. I've been getting that look a lot lately. I didn't care how this would affect things; I had to tell him the truth. "You were used, Ken. You were just a tool of MaloMyotismon's diabolical plans. He took control of you through a Dark Spore implanted in your neck." He felt the back of his neck. "You are not to blame for everything that has happened here...I am. I should have been here."

"You're talking nonsense!" he screamed, clutching his temples. "I don't know who you are; what importance do _you_ have?! It's my fault, you fool! Never forget that! I won't forget it. I can't. Everyday when I look outside I am reminded. I couldn't make amends. I couldn't say that I was sorry. It's for the best. I don't deserve to be in the company of others. I'll live alone. I'll die alone. That is how it must be."

"But Ken!" I started.

"Shut up! Shut up!" he wailed, backing away from me. "I deserve nothing! I am fully responsible!"

He quickly turned around and sprinted off into the alleyways. I wanted to chase after him. I wanted to be able to console him and help him find piece, but it appeared that it would never be. He didn't deserve this. How I wish he would understand that.

"Davis, what are you doing so far from the entrance?" Cody called. I returned to my original spot. "I have gotten clearance. You can come inside now."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The interior of the bunker held machinery that was not as sophisticated as that of DigiCommand 1, but it was far less rustic in appearance. To either side of most of the metallic doors were armed guards with Digivice badges. Apparently there were several resistance soldiers within the facility. As we approached a wide hallway, there were photos of familiar digimon and their respective partners. As I expected, I was not in any of them. Cody pointed to the end of the hall towards the double doors.

"Behind those doors is the office of the leader of the resistance," he stated. "That is where we are headed now. He is currently busy looking over some maps for tactical strikes, but the information I have is of greater priority, so he will see us."

Finally I would be able to talk to Tai. I was hoping that I could discuss with him how I came to this world, and possible solutions on how to fix the mess that I made by not being here... Did that make sense? I pondered over that for a moment. I think it did.

We approached the end, and the guards on either side opened their respective door. It was a fairly large room with a giant screen on one of the walls and a large desk in the middle with maps spread out and a computer set off to the side and...- 

WHAT THE-?!

"Here is the data from Izzy," Cody said, walking over to the desk and placing the disk next to the computer. Cody looked back at me and saw my dumbfounded look. "Oh, excuse me, Davis. Allow me to introduce the leader of the resistance...Yamato Ishida."

"You can call me Matt," he stated, walking over to greet me. He was clean cut and his hair was fairly short. He had a very professional feel about him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Davis. Anyone who can befriend Cody is a friend of mine."

"Thanks," I muttered, still confused. I peered away from his sharp, blue eyes, wondering where Tai could be.

"You look unsure about something," Matt noted, analyzing my expression. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"No," I dismissed, not wanting to make a scene. "It's nothing."

"Did you want to go over the data, Matt?" Cody asked, interrupting. "It is rather extensive."

Of course, Cody," Matt responded, composing himself. He then pressed a button on his desk. "In the meantime, one of our friends can show you around the facility, Davis. Would that be of any interest to you?" I nodded. "Excellent. Here she comes right now."

Sure enough, the doors opened again and in stepped a young woman with short, autumn-coloured hair. She wore a uniform of sorts and also appeared to be very professional. Her position must be very official as well. It was good to see another familiar face.

"Sora, this is Davis," Matt introduced. "Would you be so kind as to show him around?"

"Of course, Matt," she acknowledged. She walked up to me, shook my hand, and smiled her usual warm, genuine smile. "It's nice to meet you, Davis. I'll take you through all the interesting areas inside the bunker."

I smiled back and she led me out into the hall. As we were walking away from Matt's office, I stopped her when we passed by the photos. I needed to know where Tai was, so I decided to play stupid.

"I notice this guy with the big hair is always in the center of the photos," I noted to her. "Who is he?"

"That's Tai," Sora said in a serious tone that I didn't particularly like. "He's the actual leader of the Digidestined."

"So why is Matt in charge?" I inquired. "Why isn't Tai behind that desk."

"Follow me, Davis," she replied with a weary sigh.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We had come to a door after turning through many winding corridors and passing several waves of security. There was a keypad beside the entrance. Sora punched in a numerical sequence. The door beeped as it unlocked.

As Sora opened the door, I immediately noticed medical equipment that I had seen at Joe's clinic. I could hear the beeping of a monitor that was the same pattern of a regular heartbeat. As the door opened wider I saw a bed. The sheets were pulled up, but I could see the outline of someone under them. She went inside and I followed. I looked at the head of the cot...

No...No...this wasn't right...this is not how it was supposed to be...

"This...this is Tai?" I questioned with a quiver. Sora gravely nodded.

"He's alive as you can tell," Sora stated. "...But he's in a coma. He has been for nearly a year now." She gently brushed a few strands of his hair aside and checked the monitors wired to him.

"How did this happen?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"As always, he was being stupid," she muttered with a weak smile. "Tai is infamous for his impetuousness. He saved me from a digimon attack by diving in and taking the hit in my place. I owe him my life." She adjusted the bed sheets. "He just...doesn't think. He never did. With Tai unconscious, it was up to Matt to assume responsibility of the Digidestined and the resistance fighters. When they were younger, they would fight for dominance, but now that Matt's matured and has gained some insight as to what it's like to lead, I'm sure he regrets fighting Tai in the first place. Moreover, if...I mean...when Tai wakes up, Matt will definitely relinquish control."

"Really?" I wondered. She nodded.

"I remember one time I saw him in here talking to Tai as if he was searching for advice or encouragement," Sora recalled.

"It must have been hard for everyone when this happened," I noted.

"It was," she acknowledged. "We all went through mixed emotions about the incident. His sister, Kari, probably went through the worst experience because of it. If I had to name the person who's been through the most and moreover didn't deserve any of it, it has to be Kari."

I then realized something. Given the current situation I was hurled into, I had not once specifically thought about Kari and TK, or the fact that I was still heartbroken...until now, that is. It was curious. I mean, it was still upsetting...but there was just so much going through my mind at the time for me to focus specifically on that particular issue. Could I really be starting to hurt less? Was I getting over her? Did I even want to get over her? So many questions...

"Where is she now?" I asked. I had to see her. She might not have feelings for me, but I still had to see her. She was my friend first and foremost.

"Oh, she stays in the building," Sora responded. "It works out well, actually. Not only is she well protected, but she also gets to see Tai and her beloved TK all the time." She chuckled very lightly. "Kari's a lovely girl, and just exudes this bright aura. Would you like to meet her?"

"I would like that," I replied. "She sounds like a nice person."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We backtracked a little and ended up at a small door at the end of a narrow hall. Sora pressed a button next to the door.

"Hi, Kari, it's Sora," She said. "I have a newcomer with me; may we come inside?" There was a brief pause.

"Hello, Sora," Kari's voice greeted. Her lilting, yet solemn voice rang over the intercom. "Of course you may."

The door unlocked and slid open. The room was cutely decorated with photos and other bits of paraphernalia, giving the room a personal touch. Beside her bed was the desk she where she was sitting. She stood up and walked over to say hello. She was wearing a beautiful and modest, pale pink dress that went down to her ankles. Her hair was shoulder-length and was fastened with matching clips. Her eyes were like gleaming pools of honey, but they seemed to be filled with sadness. I suppose her brother's condition really took its toll on her.

"Hey, I'm Davis," I cheerfully stated, trying to compose myself. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Davis," Kari said, smiling politely. I heard a beeping come from Sora's direction.

"Oh dear," she noted, removing a small device from her pocket. "It appears that I'm being paged. There must be something important that has come up, but you two can continue talking. I'll see you both in a bit." She waved and left the room in a fast pace, leaving me alone with Kari...

"So what brings you to this region, Davis?" Kari questioned.

"I've been asking that same question myself for the longest while," I answered back with a sigh. "I just sort of dropped in, and was picked up by Cody. After that, I had just been following him around."

"We rarely see any new faces here," she confessed. "Most people are too afraid to travel great distances. You must be very headstrong to even consider venturing this far." I blushed slightly as she giggled a bit. "You're probably not as headstrong as Tai is, but that measures up there." I cringed inwardly. Even in this world she was beginning to compare me to her brother. Was there no escape?! "Have you seen Tai as yet?"

"Yes, I have," I affirmed. "Sora took me to see him and told me a bit about him. I'm very sorry..."

"Thank you, Davis," said Kari. "I know he'll wake up one day; I'm sure of it." She looked up at the clock above her bed. "Ah...this is the time of the day I go to see TK. You can come, too. I'm sure he'd like to meet you." This was going to get awkward.

"What makes you say that?" I inquired curiously. "You've just met me and still don't know much about me. How can you make that assumption?"

"There's something about you that I can sense," she remarked. "It's as if I know you from a dream I can't fully remember...and I'm usually sure about these things. Please, will you come?" There was no way I could refuse now. I agreed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kari led me through the veritable maze of this facility to yet another door. She quickly pressed the keypad a few times to unlock it. As the door slowly slid open and the light from the hall crept in, I noticed that there was a picture of TK hanging on the wall. He had a confident grin on his face and his eyes blazed with determination and optimism. We both walked into the room and Kari flipped on the light switch and announced to TK that we were there. My eyes had to refocus from the lighting change. After a second, I was able to see clearly again.

My face immediately lost all colour and my stomach began to stir uneasily inside me...

Other than the picture on the wall, the only thing in this room was a tall table with two candles and a golden urn sitting atop it...

No... This wasn't happening... Nothing could have prepared me for this... Absolutely. Nothing.

"Davis...this is TK," she introduced with a weak smile on her face. My mouth was slightly agape. ImperialDramon's words resounded in my head.

_Yet you wish to be cast into a lonely, fearful, and hopeless world that has given up - a world without goggles._

Hopeless... TK represents hope. I should have seen this...

"I-...he-...how?" I stammered, trying to make sense of the situation.

"It was almost a year and a half ago," Kari began, gently touching TK's picture. "We were on the surface, making routine sweeps of the city purely for reconnaissance purposes. Our group consisted of TK, myself, and our digimon. As we were heading back to the bunker, we were attacked."

"By what?" I interjected.

"A Devimon," she stated ominously. Her tone of voice was harsh as she said its name. I tried swallowing the lump in my throat. "It quickly attacked and knocked my partner out cold before we knew it was there. TK quickly had his partner digivolve to Angemon in order to defend us. His digimon is very effective against dark digimon like Devimon, so I'm sure the foul thing knew it was going to lose. Right before TK's digimon destroyed Devimon, the thing made a desperate attack aimed right at me. I was petrified and could not move."

"Then what happened?" I questioned, listening intently.

"I closed my eyes waiting for my end to come," Kari continued. "But it never came. I opened my eyes and saw TK staring at me with a saddened smile and tears in his eyes. I looked slightly down and soon enough I was in tears, too. Devimon's claws were impaled through his abdomen... There was so much blood... Angemon quickly destroyed the demon and TK fell to the ground. I knelt down and took him in my arms. He just kept smiling at me and told me not to cry. He tried to say something else...but his body gave in and became still..."

"I'm so very sorry," I consoled. I didn't know what I could possibly say to that. "You loved him very much, didn't you?" She wiped away a few tears and nodded. "Did you ever tell him?" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Did he ever tell you?" Again, she shook her head.

"There was never any time where I could talk alone with him," she added. "Because of the battles, we were always too busy. And...and I was afraid. I was afraid that he wouldn't return my feelings. I didn't want to be hurt, and I didn't want to harm what we already had."

"But don't you know now that he had always loved you?" I asked. I quickly realized that that was rather rude of me to say, and I cursed myself for it. She slowly nodded and rubbed her eyes. I had to correct my mistake somehow. "Then I'm certain that he always knew that you loved him. When two people care about each other greatly, the other person knows by instinct - from what their heart tells them. Words are strong, yes, but actions always speak louder. What TK did for you is a clear example of the greatest love there is: sacrificial love. There's no question about his love for you."

She opened her eyes and looked back at me. I smiled a comforting smile. She came up to me and wrapped her arms around me in an embrace, which caught me off guard. It was an incredible feeling being able to hold her like this, but at the same time I felt very discomfited.

I thought about what I just said. Applying it to myself, I wasn't able to tell. I was too caught up in my own infatuation to hear my own heart not being able to receive anything from Kari. So I guess it really wasn't love...well...the romantic kind, that is. TK had my unwavering respect for what he did for Kari. I began to realize how much he meant to her.

"Thank you for those words, Davis," Kari uttered into my chest. "My brother once told me something similar, but you were able to express it so well. Thank you so much." She let go of me. "Please don't think of this as rude, but would you mind if I were left alone for a bit, Davis?"

"I completely understand," I affirmed, stepping out into the hall. The door slid shut behind me.

"There was a note," muttered a voice out of nowhere. I turned my head to see that it was Cody. "When we were going through TK's belongings soon after his death, we found a note he wrote. In it he confessed his love for Kari. I suppose he was planning on giving it to her one day. His death affected all of us very profoundly. His digimon partner kept blaming himself for not being able to protect him. TK was close to all of us. He was my DNA partner, so it affected me greatly. However, it is obvious that Kari was hit the hardest. The poor girl...she lost the one she loved, and then she nearly lost her only brother in the exact same manner."

"She's strong, though," I noted, sadly. "I can tell she's a strong individual."

"Yes, she is," Cody agreed. "Someone weaker might have given up and ended their own life, but she knows that giving up is not going to help anyone. And besides...if she gave up, then TK's sacrifice would have been in vain. I-"

Cody was cut off by a siren blaring throughout the hallways. I covered my ears in an attempt to drown out the noise.

"What is that?" I yelled.

"It's the alarm set for high-level dangers," Cody answered. "Something is terribly wrong." With that, he began sprinting down the hall. I wanted to see what was wrong, so I followed. I hoped that Kari would be fine on her own for now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As we entered the main hall outside Matt's office. There were several resistance soldiers present next to the door. We made our way past the masses and into the room. Sora and Matt were both present inside, as well as a handful of resistance officials. All of them were staring at the screen, which displayed a very distressed Izzy.

"-broken into the United States defense protocol," Izzy transmitted with a hint of fear in his voice. "Weapons control has been seized!

"What kind of power does that monster now hold?!" Matt asked hastily.

"Everything, Matt," Izzy reluctantly admitted. His expression was mixed between that of terror and rage. "The beast could even launch nuclear missiles anywhere on this planet if that was its desire!" An alarm on Izzy's end started flaring. "No...NO!!!"

"What is it, Izzy?!" Matt quickly questioned.

"One of the defense satellites has been activated and is being aimed to fire in about five minutes!" Izzy screamed, his hands were fervently typing away at the keys. "It has highly destructive capabilities. This one in particular can level a whole city in a matter of seconds! I can't stop it!" Everyone in the room gasped.

"What's the target?" Matt inquired. The sweat was forming on his forehead. Izzy abruptly stopped typing and took off the headset attached to the side of his face.

"...Odaiba, Japan," Izzy weakly replied, the words barely escaping his mouth. "It's being targeted right here..." Everyone looked at each other with fear and shock in their eyes. I could see tears forming in Sora's eyes. Matt and Cody were expressionless. "Matt...I don't know if our underground installations can hold from this kind of attack..."

"Thank you, Izzy," said Matt with a deep sigh. "I would expect that you have further matters to attend at your post. Tell Yolei and the rest of the fighters that no matter what happens, it was a privilege to fight by their side."

"The feeling is mutual, Matt," Izzy stated. "Thank you." The transmission ended. Matt pressed a button on his desk.

"To everyone in this facility: I thank you all," he announced over the intercom. "Despite what the future may hold for us, I can safely say that you all fought with courage and passion. Tai himself would be proud to call you all his family. You are all true defenders of this world. Hold your heads up high at whatever may come. The rest is left to fate... That is all..." He lowered himself into his seat.

I didn't know what to think at this point. We were going to die in mere moments...all of us. I could feel it.

I could have been here. I could have done something. It was all my fault. It was my fault that Tai was unconscious; it was my fault that TK was dead; it was my fault that people were suffering; it was my fault that the world as we know it was going to come to an end. Did I ask for this?! This was not how it was supposed to be!

The ground began to shake violently. It was beginning! Our destruction! What have I done?! The ceiling began to crack and bits of debris tumbled down onto the floor. Then came the noise. The explosions above were deafening. It was unbearable. Everyone covered their ears and tried to hold onto something.

And then...I peered out into the hall. The wave of destruction was coming closer. I saw people outside the door being engulfed by the hideous flames. There was screaming...horrible, horrible screams of anguish. It was coming closer still. I could feel the intense heat...the searing heat. The end charged its way into the room. They were being swallowed. Matt...Sora...Cody...all gone in a flash...and then it reached me...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I opened my eyes. There was nothing but darkness. I couldn't see anything...I couldn't move...

I suppose I had finally died. No...I failed them all. I didn't want it to end like this. If I was only there, I could have done something! I could have stopped this! I could have saved us all! But it was far too late now... It was over...

"_Do you finally understand, Daisuke?_" a familiar voice echoed in my head and all around me. It couldn't be...ImperialDramon?! "_Do you realize? This is your purpose. This is your destiny. Put on your goggles, brave keeper of Courage, Friendship, and Miracles. Wear them with the pride of a warrior, and the conviction of a saviour._"

I lost consciousness once more...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was this sharp pain in my side. I didn't like it one bit. I groaned as I opened my eyes.

"Hey, he's waking up!" a voice called out in joy. What in the world was happening?

As my eyes came into focus, I looked around. I was in a hospital room. My head began to throb slightly as I adjusted to the light. I could now see that I was bandaged, and my leg was in a cast.

And then I saw my friends surrounding my bed. They were all here. I was alive, and so were they!

"What's going on here?" I asked hoarsely.

"You were in an accident, Davis," said Tai. "You were hit by a car. You suffered a few bruises and have a broken leg, but you'll be fine in time. Your family is in court right now. We told them we'd watch over you until they return."

"You gave us quite a scare," Cody added. "We didn't know how long you were going to remain unconscious."

I noticed Kari was wiping away a few tears, and TK was holding her hand...and it didn't bother me. I didn't have any ill feelings about it. I was just glad that they were alive, and that she was happy. Sadness does not suit her.

"I didn't expect you all to be here," I noted, sitting up in the bed.

"Why wouldn't we be here, Davis?" Matt stated. "Once Joe found out about the accident, he called all of us, and we all rushed to the hospital, and of course, Mimi came via the Digital World. You're not just a friend...you're like family to us all."

"I don't think I'd like to imagine what a world without you would be like," said Kari.

"I wouldn't have a DNA partner," Ken responded.

"I wouldn't have someone to fight," Yolei joked. There was some light laughter.

"We're just relieved that you're alright," mentioned TK. I smiled back at him and Kari

"And what would I do without you, Davis?" DemiVeemon said as he jumped on my bed. He held my goggles in his tiny hands. "Would you like to put them on now?"

"Yeah, I think I will," I answered with a content grin. "It's been too long. I'm amazed I ever saw myself without them."

I took this time to reflect. Was whatever happened to me just a dream? It couldn't be. It all felt too real. I knew I just had to be there. I learned so much from it. Things always happen for a reason. The same could be said for people. We all have a role to play. Who would have thought that mine was that important? It took a digimon to show me the way. I give my heartfelt thanks to ImperialDramon. I am indebted to him for hurling me into that world without goggles, and opening my eyes. Everything was put in perspective.

I do matter. I am something special! No one can take that away from me...not even myself.

Daisuke Motimiya. Davis. I am who I am, and I don't think I'll ever forget it for as long as I live. I felt like saying something important. My stomach then began to growl.

"Man, am I hungry," I whined. Everyone fell over.

Hey! Like I said, I am who I am!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

END

-Boy, am I glad that this story is over! I sincerely hope you enjoyed it.

-Did anyone suspect that TK was dead in this "world without goggles"? Do tell! ^_^

-If you recall in the last chapter, Izzy kept muttering "not again" when he lost transmission from Mimi. He was, of course, worried that she might have perished like TK. Mimi's fate was irrelevant to the story, so I'll leave that up to you, the reader.

-It also didn't matter to me which of the Three took control of America's weapon systems, so you can imagine whoever you'd like behind the wheel.

-You might have been able to pick up the fact that Ken was following/spying during the scene where Cody and Davis embark onto the surface and Davis mentioned being able to feel his heart from the outside. As you probably know, Ken and Davis are Jogress/DNA partners, so they can sense each other's heartbeat (remember the episode that introduced Paildramon).

-For those of you who don't know about _It's a Wonderful Life_, it's this very classic story that is aired around Christmas. It's about a distressed man who decides to commit suicide on Christmas Eve, but he is stopped by an angel and he is shown what life would be like if he was never born. This concept has been portrayed in several other stories/television shows/etc.

-Until next time, review and share your thoughts.

-O[P]


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